Fastening device.



No. 725,375. 4 PATENTED APR. 14, 1903. A. STAMBAGH.

FASTENING DEVICE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 16, 1902.

50 MODEL.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR STAMBAOH, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

FASTENING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 725,375, dated April14., 1903.

Application filed September 16,1902- Serial No. 123,586. (No model.)

To atZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ARTHUR STAMBAOH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFastening Devices, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

Myinvention relates to a new and improved fastening device, and moreparticularly to that class of fastening devices formed from a singlepiece of metal and especially adapted for joining the adjacent edges oftwo or more pieces of Wood.

The object of the present invention is to improve such devices and toproduce a fastener of greater binding or clamping power, of

heretofore made, and of such form as to be more quickly and efficientlyhandled before finally driving it into the wood.

To these ends my invention consists, generally stated, of a fastenerhaving a central portion and projecting end portions, said end portionseach being reversely bent outwardly from opposite faces of the centralportion, forming points projecting beyond the driving edge, and intheconstruction, all as fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate applications of myinvention, Figures 1, 2, and 3 show elevational and plan views ofvarious forms of fastening devices constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. t is a plan View of one form of fastener driven into twopieces of Wood; Fig. 5, a side View of the form of Fig. 4, showing theposition of the device within the pieces; Fig. 6, a perspective viewshowing the fastening device partly within the pieces, and Fig. 7 across-sectional View particularly showing the sharpened entering edge ofthe device.

Referring to the drawings, the fastening devices shown comprise threeessential portions-namely, the central portion 1, having parallel sideedges a and b, and the end portions2 and 3. The end portions arereversely bent outwardly from opposite faces of the central portion andare preferably inclined thereto and converge toward each other from thelower or entering edge to the top, thereby forming a wedge-shaped spacebetween said end portions.

It will be noted that the points d of the end portions or flanges lie inplanes difierent from the planes of the sideedges of the centralportion, projecting beyond the same on the driving edge I) and withinthe same on the following edge a, all as shown in the various figuresgiving elevational views of my device. Such a form is of very greatadvantage in the art, as it enables the fastener to be placed in correctposition by trial by pressing into the wood'said projecting points ofthe end portions either by hand or by a slight tap of the hammer beforethe final blow is struck to drive the fastener home. As these fastenersare in many instances extremely small, the advantage of being able tofirst by trial place the device in its correct position for driving andthen to be able to remove the fingers before the final blow is struck isapparent.

Another important feature of the form of fastener herein shown andclaimed is in using such a form of blank that when the end portions arebent as described their end edges will be parallel to the slantingendsof the central wedge-shaped portion. The advantage in this is that thefastener is-driven home with greater ease and is also enabled to retainits shape, and therefore its holding power, after being driven home,because of its not having the surplusage of metal on the upper orfollowing corners of the reversely-bent end portions which wouldotherwise be there if the fastener were formed from a rectangular blank,as heretofore. a

The importance of the wedge form will be readily appreciated by thoseskilled in the 1 and 2.) These short curved extensions 5 are ofconsiderable strength and greatly add to the binding or holding power ofthe fasteners. By the employment of these extensions I am enabled toproduce from very thin sheet metal a fastener of great strength, afastener whose binding power is equal to that of a fastener formed frommetal of much greater thickness and not provided with these extensions.

That I claim is- 1. As an improved article of manufacture, a fasteningdevice consisting of a central, wedge-shaped portion having parallelside edges, and end portions or flanges reversely bent outwardly fromopposite sides of said central portion whereby the points of saidflanges lie in planes different from the planes of the side edges ofsaid central portion, substantially as described.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a fastening device consistingof a central, wedge-shaped portion having parallel side edges, and endportions or flanges reversely bent outwardly from opposite sides of saidcentral portion having end edges parallel to the ends of said centralwedge-shaped portion, the points of which lie in planes different fromthe planes of the side edges of said central wedge-shaped portion,substantially as described.

3. As an improved article of manufacture, a fastening device consistingof a central, wedge-shaped portion having parallel side edges, endportions or flanges reversely bent outwardly from opposite sides of saidcentral portion whereby the points of said flanges or end portions liein planes different from the planes of the side edges of the centralportion, and a gripping extension on each of the end portions orflanges, substantially as described.

4. As an improved article of manufacture, a fastening device of anS-shaped form consisting of a central wedge-shaped portion havingparallel side edges, and end portions or flanges reversely bentoutwardly from opposite sides and back upon the central portion, wherebythe points of said flanges lie in planes dilferent from the planes ofthe side edges of said central portion, substantially as described.

5. As an improved article of manufacture, a fastening device of anS-shaped form consisting of a central wedge-shaped portion havingparallel side edges, end portions or flanges reversely bent outwardlyand back upon the central portion, whereby the points of the flanges orend portions lie in planes different from the planes of the side edgesof the central portion, and a gripping extension on each of the endportions or flanges, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ARTHUR STAMBAOII. Witnesses:

W. G. DOOLI'ITLE, O. A. WILLIAMS.

